Chinese New Year Recipe: Pot Stickers

My pot stickers were delicious! Everyone had some and raved about them. In fact, there were none left over. :) I think they will become a staple around here. Thank god my Japanese grandmother was around to help because she gave me some excellent tips that made putting the pot stickers together super easy.

I like this recipe because the meat is already cooked. This makes the cooking of the pot stickers incredibly quick. You could make all of the dumplings ahead of time and throw them in a pan to finish them off right as your guests arrive.

Pork & Beef Pot Stickers (or Dumplings)

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 largish onion, diced finely
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp ginger (I bought the minced ginger in the tube)
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 scallions, diced (both white and green parts)
2 tbsp canola oil

pack of wonton wrappers at room temperature
small bowl w/ 1/2 c. warm water & 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed together

In a large skillet, sweat the onions over medium heat in the canola oil until they are translucent. Add ginger, garlic, and toasted sesame oil. Add in the beef and pork and brown until completely cooked. Add soy sauce to taste (I put in a lot, but you can add as much or as little as you'd like). Turn off heat and mix in chopped scallions.

Make sure that the meat mixture is chopped into very small bits. You only want to put a teaspoon of the mixture in each wrapper, so you want to make sure you get a little of everything in each bite.

To make the dumplings, start with a large flat area and room temperature wonton wrappers (this will make the wrappers easier to work with). Lay out as many wrappers as you can. Spoon a teaspoon of the meat mixture onto the center of each wrapper. Then, using your fingers or a brush, put some of the water and cornstarch mixture around the edge of each wonton wrapper. This will act as a glue and keep the edges of the dumpling together. Pinch the edges together. I watched a bunch of youtube videos to try to figure out how to do this. In the end, I realized that it didn't matter how pretty they looked- they all cook the same and taste the same. So don't be upset if they don't all look perfect.

After all of the dumplings are made, heat a pan that does NOT- I REPEAT, NOT- have a nonstick surface over high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom with a thick layer. Use an oil that does not have any flavor and that has a high smoke point temperature. Once the oil is hot, add as many dumplings as you can fit without them touching. After about 10 seconds, start checking the dumplings. Once one side is browned, turn it over. Since the meat inside is already cooked, all we are doing is browning the outside. It should take less than a minute to cook both sides.

The resulting pot sticker will look more "fried" than "stuck" if you know what I mean. I guess you are supposed to put water on top of the oil to finish steaming the dumplings, but with the cooked filling this is unnecessary. The pot stickers will be crispy and yummy and made in a flash! Eat them with soy sauce or a dipping sauce similar to the one I made.

Pot Sticker Dipping Sauce

1 c. beef broth
3 or 4 tbsp toasted sesame oil
splash of mirin
1/3 c. soy sauce

Wisk the mixture together. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to take the chill off of the mixture (I leave my broth and soy sauce in the fridge).

Enjoy!